Monday, December 31, 2007

Well it's New Year's Eve and before The Blot starts getting ready to end 2007 with a bang and welcome in 2008 with hangover, I wanted to wish all of The Blot Says... readers a very happy and healthy new year. Hopefully 2008 will be even better than 2007!

And remember to check back with The Blot Says... in 2008 for some exciting things to come!

Sunday, December 30, 2007

This Brooklyn, NY indie rock band might just be one of The Blot’s favorite bands. While many consider 2006 to have been Bishop Allen’s year due to their release of a 4 song EP every month of 2006, I just couldn’t pass up talking about their sophomore album. Bishop Allen & The Broken String, released July of ’07 by the Austin, TX label Dead Oceans, takes many of the best tracks from their 2006 EPs, re-records them, and the result is just an amazing second album.

Justin Rice and Christian Rudder, who make up the core of Bishop Allen, are fantastic song writers and performers. They, along with a rotating cast of musicians, have made two unique indie pop albums (the first being 2003’s Charm School) that are extremely fun and catchy. Already Bishop Allen & The Broken String is making waves through the entertainment industry as their songs have been prominently featured on television shows (Ugly Betty, Aliens In America) and in a recent Sony camera ad, which has aired during NFL games this season. Feel free to check out two songs off of Bishop Allen & The Broken String and one song from Charm School below.

You can download Bishop Allen’s sophomore album Bishop Allen & The Broken String for free by signing up for eMusic's no risk trial offer for 25 free MP3s. Click here to sign up today.

Friday, December 28, 2007

The Forbes Fictional 15 is back! Thanks to faithful reader Mark for alerting me to its release. The past three years Forbes has complied a list of the richest fictional characters as if they were flesh and blood (they even give a rationale for each character as to how they determined the character’s worth in today’s economic climate).

The characters that make up the list come from all different kinds of fiction, books, television, comics, movies and once even a real life e-mail campaign. The only complaint I have is that former #1, Oliver “Daddy” Warbucks (from Annie), has not only been unseated as the richest fictional character, but he has fallen completely out of the top 15. It must have been a very good year for the other 15 characters comprising this year’s list.

Making his first appearance in the number one spot as richest fictional character is none other than Scrooge McDuck. Rounding out the top 5 is Ming the Merciless (from Flash Gordon), Richie Rich, Mom (from Futurama) and Jed Clampett (from The Beverly Hillbillies). You can read about who rounds out the Forbes Fictional 15 list here.

I’m actually pretty disappointed in this year’s list in that many of the fictional characters I felt deserved to be on the list in years past were taken off for newer characters without a valid reason for their inclusion. After checking out the rest of the 2007 Forbes Fictional 15 take a look at the 2006 Forbes Fictional 15 and the 2005 Forbes Fictional 15 to compare. I’d love to hear thoughts from all of you on fictional characters that should need to be added to the list and which ones should have never been included on the list in the first place. I for one think Lex Luthor (from Superman) should always be ranked in the top 15…but then again what do I know?

Instead of a generic “The Blot’s Top Albums of 2007” list, I thought I’d pick out a few albums I’ve really enjoyed this year that for some reason or another haven’t gotten the attention from the mass media they deserve.

The first band on this list is the White Rabbits. This six piece indie rock band from New York City via Columbia, Missouri released their debut album Fort Nightly on Say Hey Records. It’s rare these days to find a six piece rock band with two drum kits, but the White Rabbits pull it off really nicely. According to their bio on eMusic, “the White Rabbits refer to their music as honky tonk calypso.” The Blot has no idea what that means but the album is awesome and has been playing in my car for months. The first single from the album “The Plot” is great and you can download an MP3 of the song below.

I had the opportunity to see the White Rabbits last summer in Chicago at Lollapalooza 2007. When the band was added last minute I was super excited to catch them live until I saw they were scheduled as the opening band Sunday morning, meaning to see their set I’d have to wake up super early. With some groaning by Al we decided to set the alarm and head down to Grant Park. I think we’re both glad we did because the show was great and the album translated really well to a live set. It was just unfortunate they were on so early because a majority of the festival attendees (who typically don’t show up until after lunch) missed out.

Thursday, December 27, 2007

The Blot just got back from seeing National Treasure: Book of Secrets, and you know what? It was really quite good. So good even Nic Cage’s bad acting couldn’t ruin the film for me. Now I loved the first National Treasure and both it and the sequel did well at the box office, but there’s just something about a Nicolas Cage movie that makes me uneasy. Maybe it’s the fact that 8 of his past 10 movies (Next, The Wicker Man, World Trade Center, The Weather Man, Lord of War and Matchstick Men) haven’t interested me in the least and most did not do well at the box office. The only non-National Treasure Nicolas Cage movie I even remotely wanted to see was Ghost Rider, and that was only because it was based on a comic book. But I liked the first National Treasure so much and felt the role of Benjamin Franklin Gates suited Cage so well that I knew I needed to see the sequel.

Thankfully I wasn’t disappointed. Obviously as with any Disney movie there were some cheesy, unneeded moments, but overall it was everything you would want in a holiday adventure movie….it had great action scenes, an entertaining comedic sidekick (Justin Bartha reprising his role as Riley Poole), an on again/off again romance with Diane Kruger reprising her role as Abigail Chase and the requisite bad guy played by villain extraordinaire Ed Harris (Pollock, Stepmom, A History of Violence).

Probably the worst part of the movie was the Disney cartoon short How to Hook Up Your Home Theater starring Goofy showed before National Treasure: Book of Secrets. I have no idea why they felt the need to include thi,s but it was dreadfully awful and unnecessary. If I felt the need to watch a cartoon of Goofy clumsily putting together a home theater in the style of an old school Disney short I’d turn on the Disney Channel more often…that is if the Disney Channel ever showed those old Disney cartoons anymore instead of High School Musical 1 & 2 over and over again. But I digress…anyway, if you’re in the mood for some mindless fun this holiday weekend I recommend checking out National Treasure: Book of Secrets and you might even learn some fictitious history!

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

While The Blot is at home enjoying his extended winter break and hanging up some pictures in his new home, I wanted to share this new funny and entertaining video by the crew over at JibJab. In 2007 is “a recap of all the ridiculous, note-worthy and ridiculously note-worthy events and people of 2007.” (link) Unfortunately JibJab isn’t letting people embed the video yet, so you have to travel over to JibJab.com to check out all the zaniness.

While you might not recognize the name JibJab, you probably have seen their very first video, a send-up of the 2004 Presidential election between President George Bush and Senator John Kerry called This Land. I’ve gone ahead and embedded it below for anyone who missed it the first time around.

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Welcome to The Blot Says... holiday edition. This will most likely be my only post of the day as I continue to unpack, but I wanted to post the answer to this week's The Blot Says... Trivia Contest. I figured it was time to end 7 days worth of speculation. Unfortunately no one got the right answer this time around, so no one can be awarded a No Prize. Better luck next time!

I heard this question mentioned during last weeks Broncos/Texans game. It was in reference to Mike Shanahan and the fact that he was one of three coaches who had coached a team 10 years and had more championships than losing seasons. (link) Too bad for Shanahan that his time in that illustrious group is about to come to an end. You see the Broncos are 6-9 and with only one game left in the season and no hope of making the playoffs, Denver is already a lock to have a losing record this year. Good thing I asked this question now and not in two weeks!

The second head coach that has coached a team 10 years and had more championships than losing seasons is the immortal John Madden. Madden won one Super Bowl as the coach of the Oakland Raiders and never had a losing season while their coach. It’s a wonder he didn't coach them for longer. Did you know this Hall of Fame coach's .759 winning percentage during the regular season ranks as highest ever among coaches with 100 career victories? (link) The guy was a coaching legend. It's a shame people my age only know him for his video games and his time in the broadcast booth, even though he very well could have gotten into the Hall of Fame for either of those contributions if he had never coached a game.

The third coach that no one was able to come up with was Hall of Fame member and coaching legend Paul Brown. While the Cincinnati Bengals’ stadium bares his name, Brown was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame before he ever coached for Cinci. Brown forged his coaching legacy while leading the Cleveland Browns to a 167-53-8 record, four AAFC titles and three NFL crowns in 17 years with only one losing season. (link)

The bonus question's answer is another Hall of Famer, Joe Gibbs. There was some confusion here, but the question said the head coach had to have coached a team 10 years, it did not say later non-consecutive seasons were not counted. The first time Gibbs coached the Washington Redskins he had 10 winning seasons, 1 losing season, one 8-8 season and 3 Super Bowl victories. But, Gibbs couldn’t stay away from the game he loved and came back to coach the Redskins in 2004. Since that time he's had one winning season and two losing seasons bringing his overall time with the Redskins to three championships and three losing seasons. Gibbs shouldn't fret too much because with one more victory this weekend he will be leading his 'skins back to the playoffs.

One coach that spent over 10 seasons with one team and definitely had more championships than losing seasons with that team is Curly Lambeau, founder of the Packers and its first head coach and playing captain. He won 6 championships while coaching the Packers and had only 1 losing season. I know Mark mentioned him in his answer, but everywhere I've looked they only list Brown, Shanahan and Madden in the answer. The only reason I can think of for his exclusion is that while he coached over 10 seasons with the packers and won 6 championships, he also had 6 losing seasons throughout his time as a head coach in the NFL. The question doesn’t say the losing seasons all have to be with the same team. I know this is a technicality and I can't find it explained anywhere, but this is the only rationale I can come up with for his exclusion from the answer.

Thanks to everyone who submitted an answer, and I'll try to come up with a non-sports related question for next time so others can participate!

Monday, December 24, 2007

Well it's Christmas Eve and The Blot has ignored his faithful readers long enough. Sorry to be absent all day, but I moved into a new place this past weekend and have been unpacking and cleaning all day. I'm not close to being done, but I'm too tired to continue. I guess I know what I'll be doing all day tomorrow, besides watching Kobe and the Lakers beat down Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns of course.

In the meantime I've been very worried Santa won’t be able to find me since I just moved yesterday. Hopefully he's gone high tech and the address changes are instantaneous. But just in case they’re not, I've been tracking his movement for the past few hours...and you can too!

Check out NORAD Tracks Santa to follow along and see when jolly old St. Nick will be in your neck of the woods. You can follow his movement either by Google Maps or Google Earth and NORAD even has a toll free number for any important questions the kids in your house might have. It’s pretty cool even if you don’t believe in Santa Clause anymore.

Friday, December 21, 2007

While The Blot's talked about the new Batman movie a lot, I haven't really touched upon one of my life long passions...comic books. Growing up one comic was my favorite among all others, The New Teen Titans by Marv Wolfman and George Perez. And so it is with great joy to hear that DC has decided to get the team back together in early '08 for a new Titans book.

The only bad news to all this is that Wolfman and Perez were not invited back to do the writing and art for the book. Once again DC has decided to jinx a popular title from the very beginning by allowing Real World: San Francisco reject and comic book scribe Judd Winick (Green Arrow, Outsiders) to write the series. While not being the worst writer in the world, Winick typically has a hard time finding a character's voice and his books often under deliver to fans' expectations. My major complaint with Winick's writing is that he seems to create characters out of thin air whenever they might suit a particular storyline he wants to write with no respect for the damage that might cause to other characters’ continuity. At least DC did one thing right, and that is putting artist extraordinaire Ian Churchill (Justice League, Supergirl) on pencils. This guy is pretty amazing and his art is just beautiful.

Here’s a promo piece DC released for the new book teasing who will be apart of this latest incarnation of the team. Any guesses on who these arms might belong to?

This promotional piece might give some additional clues:

But, please don’t confusing the new book I’m looking forward to with another new book coming out in February of ’08, Tiny Titans. It's not exactly the type of comic I like to read. The cover to that book looks a little something like this:

The new season of Torchwood (its second season) has been given a start date by BBC America: Saturday, January 26th at 9/8 central! Unfortunately, Torchwood is probably the best show you've never heard of.

Now I will warn you the show is both Sci-fi and British (it's a spin-off of the long running, extremely popular British show Dr. Who), so if those two things aren't your cup of tea Torchwood might not be for you. But unlike your standard variety science fiction show, Torchwood is very hip and mystery oriented. The American show Torchwood draws the greatest comparison to is The X-Files and I think that's pretty accurate. But I will say I never got into The X-Files and I love Torchwood.

I recommend searching your cable box for BBC America (its usually a pretty high number) and try catching the show in reruns. If you like it, Season 1 has just been released on DVD so you still have plenty of time to catch up with Captain Jack Harkness and the Torchwood crew's adventures before the start of Season 2. Plus, for all you Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans out there, James Marsters will be guest staring on Torchwood this season. If you'd like a sneak peek of the upcoming season, and for a brief Marsters cameo, check out the Torchwood Season 2 trailer below:

Thursday, December 20, 2007

I’ve been meaning to follow up on one of The Blot’s very first posts, An Evening with Ryan Adams & The Cardinals. It was my very first concert review and I was hoping to eventually link to a recording of the show since almost every Ryan Adams concert finds its way onto the internet sooner or later. Thankfully a very gracious taper has recently uploaded the show to Archive.org’s Live Music Archive. You can download or stream a recording of Ryan Adams & The Cardinals’ October 18th, 2007 show in Houston, TX at the Verizon Wireless Theater here. It’s been posted in MP3 and Flac formats and is truly a great concert. Unfortunetly I didn't have a complete set list for my earlier post, so’ll include the entire set list for the Houston show below.

Before I do that though, a little birdie told me to forget the Houston show and check out a show from earlier that same tour. Dani G. recommended I immediately download/stream Adams’ October 14th, 2007 show at the famed Fox Theatre in Atlanta, GA. I haven’t had a chance to check it out yet but I’ve been told the set list is equally as good as Houston’s, but the sound quality is 100 times better. You can find the Atlanta show here. Feel free to compare the two shows yourself and let me know what you think. I’d love to hear some other fans’ opinions on which is the better show.

As it turns out, Survivor: China’s Denise the Lunch Lady has not only admitted that “she’d been promoted to custodian, at her own request, before the competition began,” but she has now also released a statement that she is not going to keep the $50,000 Mark Burnett gave to her based upon her previous lie. (link)

In a statement released Tuesday by CBS Martin took “full responsibility” for her misleading comments. In the statement Denise said “I do not feel comfortable about accepting the $50,000. I would instead ask that it be donated to the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. Please accept my apology. I would also like to thank all the people who have supported me through this experience." (link)

I’m just really glad she admitted her wrong doing, took responsibility for it and, most of all, did not keep the money. The fact that she did not give the money back right away was pretty bad though. I would love to hear an interview with Martin to find out what she was thinking when putting this whole story together in the first place. Did she not think it would get out?

Of course her school district was going to come out immediately and release a statement after she made them look terrible on live national television. Was she hoping they weren’t going to be watching that part because she had been eliminated earlier in the evening? She was in the final four, I’m sure the entire city was together cheering her on hoping for her to win the million dollars and then she slanders the same employer that has just given her three months off to compete and promote the show. It’s just a really sad situation and shows how low people are willing to sink for money.

Here are the latest promotional posters for The Dark Knight unveiled this past week to coincide with the release of the movie's theatrical trailer. These are definitely the most graphic of the four and definitely set the tone of the movie. After seeing these Joker posters I imagine this version of The Joker is much more modernized and creepy than any of the ones Batman has faced in the past.

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

So it came out this week, first reported by EW.com, that Survivor: China contestant Denise Martin full out lied at the season finale/reunion show this past Sunday on CBS. You see, Denise the Lunch Lady claimed that when she returned from China the school district she worked for would not give her her old job in the school’s cafeteria back because they feared her new found celebrity status from competing on Survivor would be too much of a distraction for the students. Instead, Denise claimed she was given a demotion to janitor, forced to work nights cleaning toilets and is now missing out on her children’s lives. The Blot, like I’m sure most of America watching the Survivor: China season finale, felt horrible for Denise after hearing her plight. Survivor producer Mark Burnett felt so bad after hearing Denise's story he informed Survivor host Jeff Probst that he would give Denise $50,000 to help her get back on her feet since she lost her job to compete on Survivor. But there was one catch to this feel good story, Denise was flat out lying about her “demotion.” (link)

The Blot was in shock after finding out it was all a lie, but at the time of the final episode’s airing the person most in shock was Nancy T. Lane, the superintendent of the Douglas Public Schools in Douglas, Mass. and Denise’s boss. Lane claims “Denise Martin lied on Sunday’s live broadcast when she stated that she was not given her job back as a cafeteria worker upon her return from taping the reality show and instead was made to ‘clean the toilets’ as a janitor working night shifts.” (link) Lane explained that Denise “was actually promoted to the position as custodian – a promotion Lane claims Martin asked for herself.” Lane went on to state that the promotion had been applied for and granted before Martin even left for China and that she asked for the promotion because it came with additional benefits and a higher salary.

Obviously, this is a classic case of he said, she said…except Martin has already called Lane to apologize. Not only that, but Lane and Denise went on CBS’ The Early Show this morning and “apologized profusely for what she said, though she stopped short of admitting that she’d lied to get the money, and won’t give back the $50K.” (link) So not only has Denise slandered her employers and made her home city of Douglas, Mass. look horrible and heartless, she is also now ripping off Mark Burnett who only wanted to help her.

I’ve watched Survivor since midway through the first season and this is the first time I can remember hearing someone come out and just lie at the reunion show for no apparent reason other than to try and get money out of viewers. Obviously the reality game show’s theme is Outwit, Outplay, Outlast and most contestants take that to mean they should lie and deceive each other, and maybe it does and maybe it doesn’t. But what was the point in lying after the final votes had already be tallied and the winner of the audience popularity vote for an additional $100,000 had already been announced (it was awarded to James the Gravedigger a.k.a. James Clement)?

Before this I felt sympathetic towards Denise for not making the final three (she was the final contestant voted out before the series finale’s final vote) because she made a strong heartfelt case of why she should be awarded the show’s one million dollar prize. But after this, not only am I glad she didn’t win Survivor: China (Todd Herzog of Pleasant Grove, UT did), I hope Burnett gets his money back and Denise is ostracized from any future Survivor: China events.

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Watch this Lost trailer at your own risk...it's an official ABC Lost trailer so there aren't any real spoilers in it, but it does contains actual clips from the upcoming 8 episode season. It might be too much information too soon before the January 31, 2008 start of Season 4.

The Blot Says... Trivia Contest is back! Last time The Blot asked a college football trivia question, so I thought it only right to give the NFL fans out there a question of their own.

I heard this fact mentioned during a football game this past week and thought it made for a pretty good trivia question. As of the beginning of this season, there are three head coaches in the history of the NFL who have spent at least 10 seasons with one team and during that period have more world championships than losing seasons...who are those three coaches?

Bonus Question: This one's a little easier. Up until the 2006 season there was a fourth coach who had also spent 10 seasons with one team and during that period had more world championships than losing seasons...who was that fourth coach?

I unfortunately forgot to add this little bit when I originally posted the question. You have one week from the start of this contest to post your answer in the comments section of this post. Due to some poor timing on my part, the contest will be officially ending on Christmas (Tuesday, December 25th)! If by some chance you find yourself with too much down time Tuesday while home from work, come check out The Blot Says… for the answer.

The Blot had read a report last week that ABC was considering moving Lost to a new time slot since there would be very few scripted shows running new episodes in the spring. That rumor was confirmed today by The Hollywood Reporter. Lost will now be ABC's flagship show this spring with new episodes being shown at the coveted Thursday at 9/8 central time slot, the current home of Grey's Anatomy.

EDIT: The date for the start of Lost's Season 4 has officially been set! Lost will begin airing new episodes on Thursday, January 31st. (Link)

This change marks the first time Lost has not aired on Wednesday nights since the show debuted three years ago. This time slot is considered the most important night and time for broadcasters and will be a great litmus test of whether or not Lost has completely rebounded from its sophomore slump. It has already been announced that NBC will be running new episodes of Celebrity Apprentice against Lost in that very time slot.

New promotional posters for The Dark Knight, the sequel to 2005's Batman Begins, have been released as we inch closer and closer to the movie's summer launch. I just can't get enough of Heath Ledger as The Joker. I was really skeptical of the casting at first, but the more I see of him in the white face paint and stringy hair the more I realize what a genius move it was picking him for the role. I now know I should have never questioned Christopher Nolan's vision.

If you haven't heard already or haven't yet seen Will Smith's new movie I Am Legend, the first official trailer for The Dark Knight is being shown before the start of Legend. I've read the trailer will be released for all to see online Monday, and if so I'll do my best to post it at The Blot Says...

You can still check out the first The Dark Knight teaser promo poster here, the two new Why So Serious? Joker posters here, and the new trailer being shown before I Am Legend can be found here.

Friday, December 14, 2007

The Blot Says… would like to congratulate #90, and former #1 pick, Mario Williams (North Carolina State) on his record breaking night last night against the Denver Broncos. While The Blot is not in any way a Houston Texans fan, I do live in the H and am glad to see Williams finally be able to shut his critics up with his incredible play on the field.

In last night’s win against the Broncos, Williams had 3.5 sacks which is a new Texans’ single game record. Not only that, but with two games left in the season and the Texans already at a franchise high 7 wins, Williams has now tied the Texans’ single season record for sacks in a year with 15. (link) Mario is also the first Texan to record a sack in five consecutive games and now leads the AFC in sacks with 15, only trailing Seattle Seahawks’ Patrick Kerney by half a sack for the NFL lead. (link) Obviously the Texans are a young franchise but in less than two years Williams has also already surpassed the franchise record in career sacks with 17.5, a mark previously held by Kailee Wong at 16, and should be representing the AFC at the Pro Bowl in Hawaii come February. (link)

The Blot is glad to see Super Mario doing well considering all of the media and fan scrutiny he has had to endure after he was drafted #1 in the 2006 NFL Draft instead of home town favorite and 2005 National Champion Vince Young or the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush. Obviously The Blot would have preferred Vince, but when it was apparent Young was out of the equation I was glad to see the Texans choose defense over a flashy running back unable to be a team’s primary rusher. I can remember countless fights with friends from Houston over this subject but I stood firm with my belief that a solid defensive player with the potential to play in the league for 10 years is always better than a running back with the overall number one selection in the draft. Running backs are a dime a dozen. Just look at the Denver Broncos who have proven this by year after year starting RBs who were either late round selections or not drafted at all. All one has to look at is the 2005 draft where three running backs were selected in the top 5 picks (Ronnie Brown/Dolphins, Cedric Benson/Bears, Cadillac Williams/Buccaneers), none of which have really panned out over the course of a full season.

I will admit the pick looked absolutely dreadful last year and I took a lot of flack because of my support of Williams. But the truth is the Texans’ defense was improving and the emergence of rookies Williams and linebacker DeMeco Ryans (University of Alabama) were huge reasons for this. Often times it takes time for a rookie to catch up to the speed of the NFL and it was no different for Mario. It didn’t help that Vince was already being selected to his first Pro Bowl while leading the Tennessee Titans to the playoffs and Reggie Bush was helping to turn around the New Orleans Saints while leading them to a division title and the NFC championship game. But now that Bush and the Saints have come down to earth and the Madden Jinx seems to be killing Vince’s ability to pass, Mario is able to shine all alone and show why he was worth the overall #1 pick two years ago.

With only two games left in the year the Texans are still in the playoff hunt and on the verge of possibly winning an 8th game, which would put the team at .500 for the year. This would be the highest win total in franchise history and the first time the Texans have ever ended a seasons at .500 or better. It seems Head Coach Gary Kubiak was the perfect choice for this team and has done a pretty good turnaround job after taking over a lowly 2-14 team just two seasons ago.

There is just something about this Page Six report that makes The Blot feel really uncomfortable.

The thought of Danny Tanner and Uncle Jesse out on the town drinking with sweet little Michelle doesn't freak me out near as much as the thought of Bob Saget, one of the dirtiest comedians around, and John Stamos (ER) going out to party with two girls, Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, they've known since they were babies.